PEOPLE WATCHBaby Mystery: Maybe there is...

PEOPLE WATCH

Baby Mystery: Maybe there is a Presley-Jackson baby on the way. Until now, spokesmen for Michael Jackson have repeatedly denied rumors that his wife, Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson, is pregnant. But suddenly, publicist Lee Solters is offering a different response. “I won’t say yes, I won’t say no. Time will tell,” he said Monday.

TELEVISION

A Piece of the Puzzle: PBS’ children’s series “The Puzzle Place,” a joint production of KCET Channel 28 and Lancit Media Productions in New York, is halfway toward its goal of finding the remaining $2 million to fund a $6.5-million second season of 24 shows. Sears announced Monday it will contribute $1 million over three years to underwrite the show, which features a cast of puppets representing different ethnic groups. “We are grateful that Sears is enabling us to continue our commitment to this important preschool series,” said KCET President and CEO William H. Kobin. Without complete funding of the series, which cost $10.3 million for the first 41 programs, KCET officials have said they would have to scale back on outreach activities connected to the series, such as distributing educational materials to preschoolers. Meanwhile, KCET reported that in the top 32 markets, “Puzzle Place” ranks second only to “Barney” among PBS’ children’s series.

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For Latino Writers: ABC has announced a new program designed to give Latino writers jobs on ABC prime-time series set for the fall TV season. The ABC-Latino Free-lance Writers Project, co-sponsored by the Writers Guild of America, West, is part of the network’s effort to open doors to Latino writers. “We recognize the growing importance of Latinos among our viewership, and we want to ensure that our programming talent, both in front of and behind the camera, reflects the diversity of our audience,” said Ted Harbert, president of ABC Entertainment. The Writers Guild is accepting submissions of sitcom, one-hour drama and telefilm scripts until July 7, from professional Latino writers. The network is under fire from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, which claims that ABC reneged on a promise to cast more Latinos in prime-time shows. ABC said a promise was never made.

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Love Notes: “Loving,” the 12-year-old ABC daytime drama, is getting a new title, a new city and a new star in an effort to boost slipping ratings. In November, Morgan Fairchild will join the cast of the soap, which is the lowest-rated of the 10 daytime soaps on the three networks. The other changes begin July 14 when a serial killer shows up in Corinth, Pa. After the killer thins out the population of Corinth--as well as the cast of “Loving”--the show will move to New York’s SoHo in the fall. “Loving” will then become “LOVNYC,” with ABC promising faster storytelling and new cast members intended to appeal to a younger audience.

THE ARTS

These Fellows Are Women: Several members of the arts and entertainment community, all of whom happen to be women, were among the 24 total chosen to receive MacArthur Foundation fellowship grants, which were announced Monday. Allison Anders, 40, an L.A. director and screenwriter, was awarded $255,000. Elizabeth Le Compte, 51, director of New York’s Wooster Group theater, will receive $310,000. Susan McClary, 48, a music professor at UCLA, will receive a grant of $295,000. New York avant-garde artist Meredith Monk, 52, was awarded $315,000. Cindy Sherman, 41, a New York-based artist-photographer, will receive $260,000. The list of winners appears today in the main news section.

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Blue Dog?: X-ray analyses of British paintings at the Huntington Library in San Marino have produced some startling discoveries, such as the image of a dog that Thomas Gainsborough covered up with his famous 1770 portrait “Blue Boy.” According to the library’s experts, Gainsborough may have felt the need to revise his initial composition because it detracted from his presentation of Jonathan Buttall, the young merchant, dressed and posed in an aristocratic style. Technicians also discovered compositional alterations in other well-known paintings such as Sir Thomas Lawrence’s “Pinkie” and Sir Joshua Reynolds’ “Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse.” The Huntington Library is conducting the X-ray analyses for a catalogue of its collection of British paintings that will be completed in the fall.

POP/ROCK

Avoiding a Jam: Security will be tight at the sold-out Pearl Jam concerts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds June 26-27. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department recommended that both shows be canceled for security reasons, but measures are being made to strengthen the shows’ security. The sheriff’s rapid deployment team plans to control unruly crowds and people without tickets who rush the fences to get in. Crowd control was a problem at recent Pearl Jam concerts in Palm Beach, Fla., and Seattle.